Shoe designer crafts collection for Royal Hawaiian’s 90th

Even as a child, Paul Mayer knew his way around a shoe store. He was accustomed to accompanying his mother on her shoe-buying excursions in their native Paris. So when, as a young man, he stepped into a Charles Jourdan boutique he felt was in disarray, he remarked to two gentlemen who happened to be there, “This store makes me feel ashamed to be French.”

That’s when one of the men introduced himself … as Charles Jourdan.

Instead of being angry, the famed French shoe designer asked Mayer what he would do to improve the boutique. The conversation ended with Mayer accepting a job offer from Jourdan, and so began his career in the shoe business.

Mayer eventually moved on to work for Italian design house Pancaldi, also learning the art of design while working at Manolo Blahnik and Walter Steiger. Although he began designing shoes in 1981, it wasn’t until 2004 that he was ready to launch his own eponymous collection.

A longtime fan of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Mayer — known as the master of ballet flats — has now designed a capsule collection of shoes in celebration of the hotel’s 90th-anniversary year.

“I’ve been going there for more than 25 years,” said the designer, who has called New York City home since 1976. He has since learned the difference between European and American shopping habits.

“In France, when a woman is depressed, she has a glass of wine. In America, when a woman is depressed, she buys a pair of shoes,” he said. Another difference: Europeans will buy the necessities of black, white and nude pumps, while Americans tend to be more open to color and novelty — an opportunity that he seized while maintaining a balance between practicality and fashion that has served him well for 13 years.

When the bustle of New York City gets to be too much, he returns to Hawaii, about four times a year. His most recent trip in May lasted only three days, but he said just being here, no matter how briefly, is energizing and inspiring.

“It’s just an amazing place. There’s never a dull moment. There are friends I’ve had for 20 years, and we all text each other and say, ‘I’m booked at the Royal.’ We meet up and everybody has a good time.”

And the feeling is mutual. About three years ago, he was rewarded for his loyalty with a name plaque on one of the chairs at the hotel’s Mai Tai Bar.

Mayer’s passion for the Pink Palace also may have to do with the color pink, which he has worn all his adult life. “There’s always a stigma attached to the color, but I don’t care because I’m 6-foot-1 with blond hair, blue eyes and sun-tanned. It looks good on me.”

His limited-edition Royal Hawaiian designs include pink low-wedge heels ($270) and ballet flats ($260), both embroidered with the initials “R” and “H” rendered in teal threads in the same font used in the original 1927 Royal Hawaiian logo. Mayer said it took a long time to find the font, and he was thrilled when he learned its name, Royal Deluxe.

The capsule collection is available at the Pashma boutique in the hotel’s lobby.

Two other styles, a fuchsia slide ($198) and ballet flat with a capped toe ($225), are available at Bloomingdale’s at Ala Moana Center.